Rhino Basics, Syllabus

This is the syllabus for a video series on the fundamentals of Rhino, as taught at Otis College of Art & Design in the spring semester of 2010. To follow the tutorial from the beginning, start here. There is a parallel series covering the basics of SolidWorks here. Enjoy!

Course Description

An introductory course covering the fundamentals of Computer Aided Design (CAD) using an industry-standard tool called ?Rhinoceros 3D? (?Rhino?).

This is a project-based lab that introduces students to basic CAD workflows and methodologies, emphasizing the parts of Rhino most applicable to design professionals. Students will learn the tools and techniques necessary for basic hard-body surface modeling for simple, geometric objects such as an mp3 player or cell phone, using dimensional precision and professional organizational best practices. Students will be immersed in a hands-on learning environment with an emphasis on learning through practical experience.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students should be capable of building a wide variety of simple CAD models quickly and easily, with dimensional accuracy and precision, ready for rapid prototyping, machining, or rendering using the Rhino V-Ray plugin. Students will be expected to be conversive in basic Rhino CAD lingo, and able to teach themselves new tools and techniques by searching through the application ?help? files.

What is ?CAD??

CAD is a communication medium, used to connect designers, engineers, model makers, manufacturers, packaging engineers, and even end-user researchers and marketing specialists. By building a three-dimensional ?model? of a design, the designer can create rapid prototypes, machine appearance models, render photo-realistic images of the product, and even generate machining surfaces for tooling and manufacturing.

Though ?Computer Aided Design? (CAD) does not refer to any particular piece of software, this course will use an industry-standard piece of software called ?Rhinoceros 3D? (aka ?Rhino?) as a means of exploring some of the universal principles of 3D CAD. The fundamental concepts introduced in this course will be useful when learning any industry-specific 3D CAD tool, such as Alias StudioTools, SolidWorks, ProEngineer, AutoCAD, Catia, or UGNX.

While it has many shortcomings as a professional tool–as do all packages–Rhino has many advantages as a learning tool. Rhino has no limits, and no safety net. Nothing is automatic, but nothing is impossible. Its broad toolset can accomodate almost any type of design, from architecture to fashion to product to automotive, and its core technology–Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS)–is the mathematical foundation for most modern CAD packages. Once you know Rhino, every other package you learn will only build on top of that knowledge.

?Which CAD package I learn?? [as an industrial designer]

A ?woodshop? is a collection of woodworking tools in a space. A ?CAD Package? is a collection of virtual tools in a virtual space. Woodworkers are not hired on the basis of their favorite brand of tool, be it Delta or Porter-Cable; if a carpenter has experience with common trade tools of any brand, the quality of his work will speak for itself. Similarly, serious design hiring decisions are rarely made based on the specific software experience of an applicant. Though it is outside the scope of this class, I recommend learning the basics of SolidWorks as well as Rhino. An entry-level design applicant with experience in Rhino and SolidWorks is perfectly acceptable to the vast majority of design offices.

Class Structure

Each class will begin with a brief introductory demonstration of several new techniques, followed by a step-by-step walkthrough of said techniques. The remainder of each class will be devoted to an in-class modeling project, the result of which will be due at the end of class. A separate three-hour modeling project will be assigned for homework at the end of each class, and will be due at the beginning of the next.

Class Materials

? Every student is required to acquire a caliper with both English and Metric units, accurate to .1mm or better, and to bring it to class every week. These can be purchased inexpensively on amazon.com, or at any hardware store. Many options are available from amazon for under $10, and a coordinated group order may help to defray shipping costs.

? Students will be expected to take notes during class, and to use said notes when completing homework. As such, notetaking materials are required at every class. A scratch-pad is very helpful when modeling, and the note pad may be used for this purpose as well.

? A ?3D Connexion Space Navigator SE? is NOT a requirement for the course, but is recommended. At minimum, a mouse with a scroll wheel will be very helpful. Many acceptable mice are available for under $10 on amazon.com.

Course Outline

Week 01:
RHINO IS EASY.
UI Overview, Intro Polyline, Spline, Circle, Rectangle, Sphere, Cylinder, Cube, Boolean, viewports. Homework: Cityscape.

Week 02:
RHINO IS PRECISE.
Precision tool options; Intro Move, Rotate, Scale, Trim, Snap, and OSnap. Homework: Precision 2D Drawing TBA.

Week 03:
RHINO IS NURBS.
CV Splines, BlendCrv, Loft, Sweep, Blend,
Control Points On/Off. Homework: Organic 3D Object TBA.

Week 04:
RHINO IS VISUALIZATION.
Intro Materials, V-Ray, the dangers of rendering.
Homework: Rendered Composition TBA.

Week 05:
RHINO IS 3D.
Intro C-Planes, Elevator Mode, the Tab key, ?think 3D?, reinforce OSnap. Homework: Precision 3D Object TBA.

Week 06:
RHINO IS YOURS.
Work session, subject TBA. Explore!
Homework: TBA.

Weeks 07-14
PROJECT.
Begin final project, a total of 42 hours on a single model.
It better rock.

Week 15
FINAL EXAM.
Class will be given an object to model during class for exam credit. Homework: Live life!

about adam: Adam O'Hern is an industrial design consultant specializing in visual brand languages, and has designed products ranging from laptops to power tools, classroom toys to bathroom fixtures, and robots to lint rollers. He has published with 3DWorld Magazine, CGTuts+, and Luxology, and works with Josh Mings of SolidSmack.com on EngineerVsDesigner.com.